


as long as you're here I will live like this

by haemophilus



Series: [secondary characters] [1]
Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Character Study, Dysfunctional Family, Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, POV Minor Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 01:51:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10479399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haemophilus/pseuds/haemophilus
Summary: Maureen could see out of her peripheral vision that his fists were clenched with rage now, and his face was purple. She turned towards him to get a closer look at this car crash of a person, and saw that there were red rings around his eyes. Something tipped over inside Maureen; it filled her stomach heavy like wet cement. Dennis rubbed at his eye with his palm, and she felt him, just then, make a handprint inside her.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you in advance to everyone who clicked on this. I know minor character fics are a hard sell and I really appreciate it. Basically, I love Maureen more than my entire life and I hope you enjoy this fic.
> 
> Content warnings for mentions of alcoholism, mention of roofies in a non sexual context, and Dennis generally being himself.
> 
> For any of my few frequent readers, sorry that this isn't an update to my other WIPs. I just always have a busy brain but I promise I will get back to them!

Winter formal of 1993 was a mixer between the boys’ and girls’ parochial schools to encourage ‘healthy socialization.’ Nuns surrounded the auditorium, scrutinizing the distance between teenage couples. Every so often, they broke from their ranks to break up couples that were dancing too close. At homecoming, Maureen had hovered by a wall, and watched as her brother, Bill, was approached three times for inappropriate contact. He was drunk on spiked punch then, but he wasn’t tonight. A nun was keeping close watch on the punch bowl too, and Ronnie the Rat hadn’t figured out how to get past her guard. So far, Bill was on his best behavior.

Another boy, however, was not. He had seized the gap that Bill had left behind, and had been yanked away from girls no less than five times. Something about his unearned confidence was captivating, like rubbernecking a rear-end car crash where the at-fault driver was accosting the person he hit. By the sixth time he had been caught, Maureen stopped looking at anyone else. That night, Dennis was the greatest show in town.

It took him four more attempts at seduction to finally slump away from the dance floor, head hung and shoulders turned inward. He dragged his feet as he walked towards the wall, and Maureen’s heart fluttered as she saw him decide to take a spot close to her. Dennis leaned up against the wall, and sighed melodramatically. Maureen couldn’t help but giggle.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” he said grumpily. Maureen stifled her urge to laugh harder.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Good,” said Dennis, still not turning to look at her. “Because there’s nothing funny about the disrespect I have been shown this evening. It is complete and utter bullshit that those nuns cannot respect that healthy socialization involves sex, ok, and anyone who cannot see that is on my blacklist and should be on everyone’s blacklist now and forever.”

Maureen could see out of her peripheral vision that his fists were clenched with rage now, and his face was purple. She turned towards him to get a closer look at this car crash of a person, and saw that there were red rings around his eyes. Something tipped over inside Maureen; it filled her stomach heavy like wet cement. Dennis rubbed at his eye with his palm, and she felt him, just then, make a handprint inside her.

“You’re going to blacklist the entire Catholic church?” asked Maureen.

“Maybe,” said Dennis.

“That sounds pretty hard,” said Maureen.

“You just have to know the right people,” said Dennis. “That’s what my mom always says. And my dad too but he’s an asshole so, you know. Fuck him.”

Right now, Maureen’s dad was drinking himself into a stupor in their living room. Her mother was fussing after him, making dinner and excuses. Neither of them noticed Maureen and Bill leave that night.

“Family is bullshit,” said Maureen.

Dennis turned his head towards her. He scanned her body up and down; Maureen was suddenly extremely self-aware of her lank hair and her cheap dress and, god, her tooth. But the look on Dennis’s face wasn’t disgust; it was intrigue. He forced a charming smile onto his face that would have been more convincing if he hadn’t been in the depths of despair moments earlier.

Maureen’s heart fluttered anyway.

“You probably already know, but my name is Dennis,” he said, moving closer.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of you,” she said. “My brother is Bill Ponderosa. He’s talked about you before.”

Bill’s exact description of Dennis had been ‘I’m going to Dennis Reynolds’ party because he has a great house but he’s such a psycho that it’s my job to roofie his drink so he’s out cold the whole time.’ What Dennis didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“Bill’s sister, huh?” he said. “He never mentioned he had a sister. What’s your name?”

“Maureen,” she said.

Dennis moved in closer, and touched her wrist with his fingertips. Her heart was in her throat; any minute, one of the nuns could see and this moment would end.

“Maureen Ponderosa,” he said. “Well, Maureen, what do you say we ditch this party and take a ride in my brand-new Range Rover?”

Tentatively, Maureen snaked the tips of her fingers to his back and tucked them under the hem of his shirt.

“I’d love to,” she said.


End file.
